Isadora, Appearances

Signed, titled, dated, and editioned on certificate of authenticity affixed to verso.

In Appearances, Barbara Cole attributes her dreamlike photography to “portraits” of  anthropomorphized flowers. As the title of the series suggests, these images ask  what it means to possess a form (human or otherwise) and what is considered  worthy to be the subject of an artist’s attention. This exploration into  transformation, nature, and beauty is marked by Cole’s exquisite use of water as  a medium that naturally reshapes form.

By anthropomorphizing these flowers with stunning finesse, flitting between  what we perceive as photography and painting, Cole expands the possibilities of  the photograph and the act of empathy altogether. Isolated like all of us during  lockdown, Cole began this series out of necessity but also as an exercise in  connection. Each flower is given a human name, imbuing them with personalities  which, especially during a time of isolation, remind us of personalities we have  all been longing to reconnect with.

By alluding to traditional representations of flowers through her unique  contemporary lens, the photographs in Appearances embody a timeless  sensibility that likewise further expands Cole’s prolific body of work.